Ten-Minute Couscous with Olive Oil and Salami
Couscous needs no simmer, so the stove runs for one boil and then quits.
- calories
- 790
- weight
- 5.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 144
- protein
- 26 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 8 min
- total time
- 10 min
- water
- 300 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Bikepacking
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Instant couscous | 1 cup dry | |
|---|---|---|
| Hard salami or summer sausage | 2 oz | whole stick, uncut, keeps for days |
| Sun-dried tomatoes | 2 tbsp, chopped | the dry-packed kind, not oil-packed |
| Dried onion flakes | 1 tbsp | |
| Olive oil | 1.5 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Bouillon powder | 1 tsp | |
| Black pepper and dried oregano | 1/2 tsp each |
Method
- Boil 300 ml of water. Stir in the bouillon, onion flakes, and sun-dried tomatoes and let them sit off the flame for two minutes to soften.
- Dump in the couscous, stir once, and clamp the lid on. Heat off.
- Wait five minutes. Do not lift the lid to check.
- Slice the salami into the pot, pour the oil over, and fold it all together with a fork.
Couscous is already cooked before you buy it. All the boiling water does is rehydrate it, which is why this meal costs one pot of fuel instead of ten minutes of simmering. In cold weather that matters more than the recipe does.
The dry ingredients rehydrate at different speeds, so the tomatoes and onion get a two-minute head start in the hot water. Everything after that is fat and salt. Couscous on its own is bland and thin; the oil and cured sausage are what turn it into a dinner that carries you to the next morning.
Packing
Couscous, bouillon, onion, tomatoes, and spices premixed in one freezer bag. Salami and oil ride separately.
Variations
- Swap the salami for a foil packet of tuna to drop about an ounce of carry weight.
- Leave out the sausage and bouillon and use a vegetable cube for a vegan version.
- A pinch of curry powder and a handful of raisins takes it in a completely different direction.
https://www.cleverhiker.com/tutorials/lightweight-backpacking-video-series/episode-7-lightweight-trail-food